Selecting apparatus for conveyer systems



Nov- 3, 1925- v J. G. MACLAREN SELECTING APPARATUS FOR CONVEYBR SYSTEMS Filed Feb. 21, 1925 jw7%7f I awzea fiJYcZcYcc We): 7;; EM

Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. MACLAREN, OF SYRACUSE, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON COM- PANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SELECTING APPARATUS FOR GONVEYER SYSTEMS.

Application filed February 21,1925. Serial No. 10,832.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES G. MAoLAnnN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Selecting Apparatus for Conveyor Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to selecting or assorting apparatus adapted to separate moving articles into groups or classes in accordance with some distinguishing characteristic, such as external configuration. For example, in pneumatic despatch tube systems carriers of one class may be employed for cash transactions and carriers of another class for charge transactions, the two classes of carrier commonly being distinguished by having heads of different shape.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an automatic selector or assorting device for separating articles, 011 example carriers such as just referred to, into their respective groups, delivering articles of one group or class at one point and articles of the other group or class at another point, and to embody such apparatus in a simple and inexpensive construction which will withstand the rough treatment which such an apparatus necessarily receives in use and which will operate with accuracy under all conditions.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated by way of example one desirable embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings I V Fig. 1 is a vertical section illustrating the improved carrier selector, showing in dotted lines a carrier with recessed head at the instant of its engagement with the selector mechanism and also at a later stage in the selecting operation;

Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a fiat-headed carrier at the instant of engagement with the selecting mechanism;

Fig. l is a fragmentary view in general similar to carrier and the selecting mechanism at a later stage of the operation;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing details of the selector gate construction;

Fig. 3 but showing the fiat-headed Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a fiat-headed carrier of usual type;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the same car- Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a carrier having a recessed head; and

Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the carrier shown in Fig. 8.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4: the numeral 18 designates a tubular housing preferably made of metal and having flanges 19 and 20 at its upper and lower ends respectively. The device as here shown is adapted to be connected by means of flange 19 to the lower end of a transmission tube forming a part of the system, it being evident that in place of a tube, any other guiding or conveying means may be employed for delivering carriers to the upper end of the selector. The flange 20 at the outlet end of the housing 18 is adapted, if desired, to fit onto a transit tube leading to any required point.

The housing 18 preferably has a side outlet located between the parallel wings 23, such opening permitting carriers to be discharged laterally. A yoke or frame 24 extends from the housing at the side opposite to the discharge opening and carries a pair of ears 25 (Fig. 2) between which a detector lever 26 is pivoted on a pin 27. The yoke 24. also carries a second pair of ears 28 between which an abutment 29 is pivoted on the pin 30*. I

The detector lever 26 is preferably weighted so as normally to return to the position shown in Fig. 1 after being moved to the position shown in Fig. 4. The abutment or gate 29 normally projects transversely into the housing to prevent carriers from passing through the latter. This abutment comprises spaced side members and a transverse member 29 which connects the side members at their outer ends, thus forming a lever of inverted U-shape fulcrumed at the free lower ends of its side members.

The detector lever 26 has a projection 30 normally disposed in the path of travelling carriers but this projection is not operatively engaged by carriers such as 86 having recessed heads 81 as the projection 30 is of less length than the depth of the recess 32 in the head of such a carrier, and thus the transverse member 29 of the abutment sussubstantially coincides with the longitudinal axis of such passage. 7

In Fig. l the detector lever 26 and the abutment 29 are shown in the normal position wherein the transverse member 29 of the abutment overlies and protects the horizontal upper member 37 of the detector lever and the studs 34 engage the slots 35. The arrangement of the member 29 with respect to the member 37, together with the relative disposition of the pivots 27 and 30" and the pins 34 positively prevents the abutment 29 from swinging in a counterclockwise direction from the position of Fig. l

but permits it to swing freely in the opposite direction.

In Fig. 1 a recessed carrier 36 is shown in dotted lines at the instant of its engagement with the detector lever 26 and abutment member 29. As the recessed head of the carrier fails to engage the projection 30 of the detector lever, the blow of the carrier is wholly sustained by the member 29 which is disposed substantially above and to the left (Fig. 1) of the pivotal axis of the abutment so that the force of the blow of the carrier is unable to swing the abutment. The abutment thus remains stationary and the carrier tips sidewise as indicated in dotted lines in this figure and falls out of the housing through the opening between the ears 23.

If, on the other hand, a carrier 37 having a flat-head 38 be delivered into the selector housing the flat-head of the carrier engages the projection 30 on the detector lever 26 and causes the latter to revolve upon the pivot pin 27. The studs 34 on the arms 33 of the detector lever which are normally in engagement with the slots 35 i of the abutment now cause the abutment to rotate in a clockwise direction until it ass sumes the position indicated in Fig. 3 Where it is clear of the carrier before the latter reached the position which the member 29 normally occupies.

As the carrier 37 continues on its Way through the selector it forces the detector lever 26 out of its normal position until the abutment 29 comes to rest on the yoke 24 as indicated in Fig. 4. Then the carrier has passed completely through the house ing the detector lever returns by gravity to its normal position, picking up the abutment 29 on its way and returning the latter to normal position.

i From the foregoing description it is clear that one form of carrier, unable to remove the abutment from its path of travel, will be delivered from the selector in one direction, while a carrier of another type will swing the abutment clear of its path of travel to permit it to travel on through the elector ho sing- The device herein disclosed, while well adapted to perform the desired function, is to be considered merely as one example of various embodiments of the invention all operating upon the same general principle and falling within the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carrier sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube for directing carriers, an abutment normally po sitioned within the tube at one side of the latter, and a combined actuating and locking device for the abutment, said device positively preventing movement of the abutment when engaged by carriers of one class, and positively moving the abutment out of the tube when carriers of another type engage said actuating and locking device.

2. A carrier sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube for directing carriers, an abutment normally disposed within and at one side of the tube, said abutment being pivoted to swing about an axis outside of the path of carriers, and a movable detector device, said detector device and abutment having mutually cooperating parts normally engaging whereby positively to prevent movement of the shut. ment about its pivot when engaged by carriers of one class.

3. A device for assorting pneumatic carriers normally travelling in one direction in a tube comprising an abutment lever pivotally mounted outside of the path of carriers but at, a point closely adjacent to said path, said lever extending from its pivotal point longitudinally of said path in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the carriers, an abutment eles ment at the free end of the lever normally disposed within but at one side of the path of the carriers, and a locking and actuating device positively limiting movement of said lever in one direction but operating, when struck by a carrier of a predetermined type to swing the abutment lever in the opposite direction to remove the abutment from the carrier path.

4. A device for assorting pneumatic carriers normally traveling in one direction in a tube comprising an abutment lever pivotally mounted outside of the path of carriers but at a point closely adjacent to said path, said lever extending from its pivotal point longitudinally of said path in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the carriers, an abutment element at the free end of the lever normally disposed within but at one side of the path of the carriers, and an actuating lever pivotally supported at a point outside of the carrier path, said lever having a part normally engaging the abutment to limit movement of the latter toward the center of the carrier path, and a part engageable by carriers of a certain kind whereby to swing both the actuating lever and abutment from out of the carrier path.

5. A device for assorting pneumatic carriers normally travelling in one direction in a tube comprising an abutment lever pivotally mounted outside of the path of carriers but at a point closely adjacent to said path, said lever extending from its pivotal point longitiiidinally of said path in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the carriers, an abutment element at the free end of the lever normally disposed within but at one side of the path of the carriers, and a detecting and actuating lever pivotally supported at a point outside of the carrier path, said latter lever being so counterweighted as to tend to swing toward the central axis of the carrier path, said detecting and actuatinglever having a feelerfinger engageable by carriers of a certain kind and a part normally engaging the abutment to limit movement of the latter toward the carrier path, the actuating and abutment levers having engaging parts to transmit movement from the actuating lever to the abutment lever when a carrier engages the t'eeler finger.

6. An assorting device for bodies moving in a predetermined path comprising a movable abutment member normally projecting into said path at one side of the center thereof and so constructed and arranged as to tend to move further across said path under impact of a body thereon, and means actuable by a body moving along said path to move the abutment member out of said path, said actuating means normally limiting movement of the abutment member inwardly of said path.

7. An assorting device for bodies moving in a predetermined path comprising a movable abutment member normally projecting into said path at one side of the center thereof and so constructed and arranged as to tend to move further across said path under impact of a body, and actuating means adapted to be operated by a body of certain configuration positively to move the abutment member entirely out of said path, said actuating means, when in normal position, interlocking with the abutment to limit movement of the latter toward the centre line of said path.

8. A selector device for diverting pneumatic carriers from their normal. pathof travel comprising an abutment lever having spaced parallel side arms and a transverse connecting member, the transverse member normally projecting into and tends ing to swing across the carrier path when engaged by a carrier, and an actuator lever pivoted to swing between the side arms of the first lever and having a part normally engaging the transverse member of the abutment lever to limit movement of the latter across the carrier path.

9. A selector device for diverting pneumatic carriers from their normal path of travel comprising an abutment member of inverted U-shapepivotally supported at the free ends of its parallel side arms and having its closed end disposed within the carrier path to form an abutment stop for carriers, said lever tending to swing across said path when struck by a carrier, and an actuating lever having a surface arranged normally to underly and engage the under surface of the closed end of the abutment lever thereby to limit movement of the latter across the carrier path.

10. A selector device for diverting pneumatic carriers from their normal path of travel comprising an abutment lever having spaced parallel side arms and a transverse connecting member, the transverse member normally projecting into and tending .to swing across the carrier path when engaged by a carrier, andan actuator lever pivoted to swing between the side arms of the first lever, said actuator lever being so counterweighted as to tend to swing across the carrier path.

11. A device for assorting pneumatic carriers normally travelling in one direction in a tube comprising an abutment lever pivotally mounted outside of the path of carriers but at a point closely adjacent to said path, said lever extending from its pivotal point longitudinally of said path in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the carriers, an abutment element at the free end of the lever normally disposed within but at one side of the path of the carriers,

. and an actuator lever pivoted adjacent to but outside of the carrier path at a point spaced from the pivotal point of the abutment lever in the direction of approach of carriers, said levers having normally interengaging parts positively limiting movement of the abutment lever across the carrier path. 7

12. A device for assorting pneumatic earriers normally travelling in one direction in a tube comprising an abutment lever pivotally mounted outside of the path of carriers but at a point closely adjacent to said path, said lever extending from its pivotal point longitudinally of said path in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the carriers, an abutment element at the free end of the lever normally disposed within but at one side of the path of the carriers,

and an actuator lever pivoted adjacent to but outside of the carrier path at a point spaced from the pivotal point of the abutment lever in the" direction of approach of carriers, and means tending to swing the actuator lever across the carrier path, said levers having normally engaging elements positively limiting the movement of both levers across said path.

13. A selector device for diverting pneumatic carriers from their normal path of travel comprising an abutment lever having spaced parallel side arms and a transverse connecting member, the transverse member normally projecting into and tending to swing across the carrier path when engaged by a car ier, and an actuator lever pivoted to swing between the side arms of the first lever, said actuator lever being so counterweighted as to tend to swing across said path, the levers having normally engaging elements limiting their movement toward the carrier path, and a pin carried by one lever engaging a slot in the other lever to transmit movement of the actuator lever to the abutment lever.

14. A selector device for diverting pneumatic carriers from their normal path of travel comprising an abutment lever having spaced parallel side arms and a transverse connecting member, the transverse member normally projecting into and tending to swing across the carrier path when engaged by a carrier, and an actuator lever pivoted to swing between the side arms of the first lever, said levers having elements normally engaging to limit movement of the abutment lever across the carrier path and having means for transmitting movement from the actuator lever to the abutment lever, the actuator lever having a detector element disposed in the carrier path engageable by carriers of a certain type to swing the actuator lever and abutment lever wholly out of the carrier path.

15. In combination with a pneumatic despatch tube having a lateral discharge opening and a vertical slot in its opposite side, an outstanding yoke in the plane of the slot, an abutment lever pivoted in the lower part of the yoke, said lever having an abutment element normally disposed Within the tube near the upper end of the slot, an actuator lever pivoted near the top of the yoke and having an arm normally engaging the abutment to limit movement of the latter into the tube, said actuator lever having a detector element disposed substantially axially of the tube and engageable by carriers of a certain kind, the actuator lever swinging outward into the yoke when so engaged by a carrier and carrying the abut-ment element with it whereby to provide a clear passage through the tube for carriers.

Signed by me at Syracuse, New York this 19th day of February, 1925.

JAMES G. MACLAREN. 

